Howdy peeps and welcome to Day #10 of Month of Nostalgic Video Game Reviews 2! This is a blog series where I review video games from my childhood. And so today we conclude the Mario Land game series with the most different title in the series which also started a series of its own, I am of course talking about Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 for Game Boy!

Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 is a platforming game released for the Game Boy in 1994 and is a continuation from the end of Super Mario Land 2: The Golden Coins. The story for the game picks up right after Super Mario Land 2 and involves Wario trying to get as much money as possible to buy his own massive castle and make Mario jealous. What a legend.

In terms of gameplay it is very different from the standard fare in a Mario platformer. The game takes place on a linear route through several themed areas, which are split into several courses culminating in a boss fight. Wario can jump on or bump into enemies to knock them over and during their dizzy state he can pick them up and throw them at other enemies. When in his grown form, Wario is also able to perform a shoulder charge, which is used to attack enemies, break through blocks and open hidden treasure chests.

As for the power-ups in the game are all new besides the return of the Starman. There are three new power-ups in the form of helmets including:

The Bull Helmet increases Wario’s strength and doubles the length of his shoulder charge attack, allowing him to smash through blocks more easily, gives Wario the ability to stick onto ceilings and in mid-air, perform a “butt stomp” into the ground which stuns nearby enemies and breaks through blocks underneath him.

The Jet Helmet increases Wario’s running speed and lets him fly long distances in the air, as well as to shoulder charge underwater.

Finally, the Dragon Helmet lets Wario shoot long-ranged bursts of flames both on land and underwater, making it very useful for defeating enemies and destroying blocks quickly, but in return, replaces his shoulder charge until he takes damage or changes helmets.

If Wario takes damage from an opponent or obstacle, he’ll shrink, losing his shoulder charge move, and will remain small until he gets a clove of Garlic, another helmet or reaches the end of the level. If Wario is hit while small, or is hit by an instant kill obstacle (like pits or lava) he’ll lose a life and all the coins he had.

Unlike the Mario series where coins are used to earn extra lives, coins in this game are instead used as currency, the goal being to try and collect as much treasure as possible by the end of the game. You can collect them in blocks or knock them out of enemies, Wario can pull out one large 10 coin piece which can be thrown and collected if necessary. It can be used to attack enemies, activate checkpoints or open the exit at the end of each stage. To gain extra lives you have to collect heart points which are earned by defeating enemies or collecting hearts, with an extra life earned for every 100 points earned. At the end of each level, the player can choose to either gamble the amount of coins he or she has collected in the level in a game of chance, or spend them to try and earn heart points and extra lives. Also hidden in certain levels are keys which open secret treasure rooms containing treasure.

Oh yes!Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 this was one of my favourite Game Boy games ever. I loved it just about as much as I did Super Mario Land 2, maybe even more so. The gameplay was just so different from basic Mario gaming, Wario was so much more physical, dangerous and action-heavy. I just loved how much of a badass he was, Wario ran around rugby tackling all enemies he came across and went them flying and if that wasn’t cool enough he could also use his ass to flatten enemies from the air! Wario didn’t give a fuck, he was a greedy bastard out for money and treasure and destroyed anyone in his way and that’s why he kicked so much ass in this game. The power-ups were also one of the best parts of the game but my favourites would be the Bull and Jet helmets, I liked the former one because it allowed you to do an epic butt stomp from the air, whereas the latter allowed you to blast across the screen in the air or on ground. In addition to the great gameplay the game had wonderful graphics that was nicely done artistically and the wicked music that was catchy and memorable.

So in conclusion Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 was an incredibly awesome game which was just as good or maybe even better than Super Mario Land 2. It was a truly different but awesome game with great gameplay and a wonderful main character in the form of Wario. This game started a whole new series that has lasted for 7 more sequels. I am so glad I got to play this back in the day and I highly recommend it for Mario fans curious about Wario’s origins.

Well there’s another game review done only 20 more to go! If you have experiences with this game or any of the following ones do comment below! I’ll see ya tomorrow with another nostalgic video game review yo! 😀